A Lamb & Fig Ragout, Potato Kugel, Puff Pastry Star.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11, KJV)
My favorite moment from any Christmas movie or TV special is Linus’s monologue in A Charlie Brown Christmas. After Charlie Brown wonders if anyone knows what Christmas is truly about, Linus slowly walks to center stage, cues the lights, and recites Luke 2:8–14, the account of a herald of angels announcing the birth of the Messiah to a group of shepherds. Then he gathers up his blanket, strolls back to Charlie Brown, and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” Mic drop!
This dish is inspired by what shepherds would commonly eat during a “night shift” tending their flocks. They’d pack a ration of dried figs, cheese, and cured meat in a sling and tie this around their waist. The sling itself would have been much like the sling David used to slay Goliath. Then, when they’d settle for the evening and start a fire, they’d create a simple stew with their ingredients.
Our Shepherd’s Ragout contains dried figs and apricots, goat’s cheese, and some savory vegetables and herbs. The meat is lamb, symbolic of Jesus, the Lamb of God. This stew is served in a classic Jewish potato kugel, which is shaped to represent the manger in which Jesus rested after his birth. A puff pastry star, representing the star that guided the wise men to Bethlehem in another part of Jesus’s birth story, adds a finishing touch.
The title “Lamb of God” would have immediately brought the Passover to the minds of first-century Jews. In the first Passover, in Egypt, God instructed Hebrew families to slay an unblemished lamb and spread its blood on their doorposts, signifying to the angel sent to kill the firstborn sons of Egypt that these houses were to be “passed over.” How amazing that Jesus, the true Passover lamb, who would be slain in our place, entered our world in such a humble way!
Another title for Jesus is “King of Kings.” Yet news of this king’s arrival was not announced to the wealthy or powerful, but lowly shepherds. Shepherds were often poor, unskilled, and illiterate, and considered by many to be “unclean” because their occupation required them to break Jewish law and work on the Sabbath. How remarkable it is that the “Good Shepherd,” who will reign over a kingdom that will outlast all others, was revealed initially to people such as these!
Equipment
Oven
Muffin tin
Box grater
Slow cooker or Dutch oven
2 cutting boards
Large mixing bowl
Large pot
Chef knife
Wooden spoon
Pastry brush
Star cookie cutter or cardboard template
Parchment paper
Cookie sheet
Ingredients
1.5–2 lbs lamb shoulder, cut into bite sized chunks
1 lb ground lamb
2 medium sweet onions
3 medium carrots
3 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Tbsp dried thyme
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
1L beef stock
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup diced dried figs
1 cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup red wine (Merlot or Malbec recommended)
¼ cup cornstarch slurry (1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1⁄4 cup red wine or water)
140 g soft goat cheese
1 egg
One 8” x 12” sheet of puff pastry
6 Yukon gold potatoes
Olive oil as needed
Butter as needed, room temperature.
Dried thyme
¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Lamb & Fig Ragout
Dice the carrots and one of the onions, and finely chop the garlic.
Preheat oven to 250℉ (skip if using slow cooker)
Add olive oil to the bottom of either a Dutch oven or slow cooker and set to medium heat, until it begins to shimmer (you could also use a wide-bottomed metal pot or sautè pan with high sides, but these must be oven-safe).
Add the lamb shoulder, cut into bite-sized chunks, and turn regularly to brown on all sides (about 2–3 minutes per side). You may need to do this in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding and achieve a proper sear. Remove to a bowl after fully browned.
Add the ground lamb to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and brown until cooked through. Remove this to a bowl also.
Add the onions, carrots, and garlic to the pan and sautè for 3–5 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and the carrots begin to soften.
Deglaze the pan with ½ cup of red wine (or more if needed), using a wooden spoon to scrape the pan and ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom.
Add the browned lamb back to the pan with beef stock, tomato paste, and roasted tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
Add the cornstarch slurry and stir thoroughly to distribute it throughout.
Let everything simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the herb springs, apricots, and figs.
Season again with salt and pepper, then place in the oven for 3–4 hours (or set the slow cooker to 250℉ and set for 3–4 hours). Check a few times to stir and ensure that there is enough liquid (add beef stock or red wine as needed). It’s finished when the meat is fork-tender.
Potato Kugel
Preheat oven to 375℉.
Rub a stick of semi-softened butter into a muffin pan, ensuring that the butter is liberally applied, then spray the entire pan with non-stick canola oil.
Peel potatoes and shred using a box grater into a large bowl. Shred one onion in the same manner. Stir these together with your hands so that the onion is evenly mixed with the potatoes.
Season the mixture with dried thyme, sea salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Mix evenly.
Scoop up a handful and squeeze out excess water, then press it into the greased muffin tin to form a nest. Repeat until all the spaces in the tin are filled.
Spray the top of the nests with cooking spray, then bake at 375℉ for 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and slightly browned.
Puff Pastry Stars
Preheat oven to 375℉.
Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Beat one egg in a small bowl and set aside.
Cut star shapes from a sheet of thawed puff pastry with either a cookie cutter or sharp knife (use a template for consistency of shape), transferring each star to the baking sheet.
Lightly brush each star with the egg wash, then bake for approximately 15 minutes, until fully puffed and golden brown.
Plating
Carefully remove the potato kugels from the muffin tin (they will stick to any part of the tin not sufficiently greased) and place one in the center of each plate. Fill kugels with a generous amount of ragout, then garnish with a crumble of goat cheese and chopped parsley. Top each with a puff pastry star and serve!
A Shepherd’s Ragu Conversation Guide
In your opinion, what is Christmas all about?
This question—what is Christmas all about?—is what Charlie Brown yearns to know in A Charlie Brown Christmas. The response, of course, is Linus’s famous monologue as he reads the Christmas story according to Luke Chapter 2.
In light of all this, why is the angel’s announcement “good tidings of great joy…to all people,” as we heard from Linus?
What is the best news you have ever been surprised by?
Why do you think Linus dropped his security blanket in the video?
Why Do you think Jesus came as a Baby?
Why do you think that the Angels made their announcement to the Shepherds?
Do you think Jesus’s Birth changed the world? If so How?
If not, why not?
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